The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Budgetary challenges won't stop city council from sponsoring the Flin Flon Bombers this season _ albeit at a reduced rate. No actual cash will exchange hands. Instead the city will provide the hockey club with $5,000 worth of ice time at the Whitney Forum. That's a 17 per cent drop from the $6,000 worth of ice time provided through the city's sponsorship of the Bombers last season. Unlike some previous years, there was no debate amongst councillors over the vote, which carried unanimously at last week's council meeting. Coun. Bill Hanson, who once opposed municipal sponsorship of the Bombers but has usually lent his support to the concept, was absent. The city has now sponsored the Bombers with a combined total of $58,200 over the last nine seasons, dating back to 2005-06. In each season, the sponsorship came in the form of lower ice rental fees. The question of whether tax dollars should support sports teams is one that has sparked debate in cities across North America and beyond. Some taxpayers see other burning needs and point out that not everyone is a sports fan. Others stress the perceived economic benefits and sense of civic pride that sports teams foster. Other highlights from last week's council meeting: Council approved final reading of a motion to impose a five-minute parking limit on the taxi stand on Main Street in front of the Royal Hotel. Council also gave the final okay to a new pedestrian crosswalk on Green Street near the Balsam Avenue intersection. Council voted to sponsor the Flin Flon Minor Hockey Association to the tune of $500 this season. 'There (are) over 200 youth involved in our local hockey program, along with multiple teams attending our tournaments,' FFMHA wrote in a letter to council. Council voted to donate $150, plus the cost of gas for four vehicles for one evening, to the Manitoba Emergency Assistance Association for its safety patrols on Halloween night. Council granted a variation order to allow for the construction of a new deck at 191 Centre Street. Council was asked to help lobby the Manitoba government to dole out funding for a provincial non-profit. A Port in the Storm Inc. provides affordable rental housing in Winnipeg to northern and rural Manitobans who are the capital city for medical reasons. 'We cannot stress enough the importance that provincial funding would have on an organization like A Port in the Storm,' Wrote Duane Boutang, a reeve with the RM of Piney, in a letter to council. Boutang asked council to adopt a resolution lobbying the province to 'support this very important project that will benefit a large portion of the Province's population.' Council had no comment on the letter, referring it to the committee level for further debate.
